No, Cuengi, Dad didnt eat something delicious by himself. Right, Vice Chairman Theo?

Sejun hurriedly asked Theo to clarify to Cuengi, who seemed to have misunderstood, but

What are you talking about? Chairman Park was happily eating what I gave him! And didnt he also make that Keuh sound that he only makes when he eats something delicious?!

Theo, who had been focusing on Sejuns reaction to eating the golden inner core closely, thought that Sejun was trying to deny his achievement for bringing the golden core and described in detail what he saw. Puhuhut. you cant fool me, meow!

Ah?! Thats right.

Thinking about it, Sejun had eaten something with an orange soda flavor so he did indeed eat something tasty. Still! Darn! Theo, youre not helping me at all this time.

Well, it cant be helped then.

Shashasha.

Sejun rubbed his palms together hurriedly as Cuengi watched.

Krueng?!

[Dad, youre admitting that you ate by yourself]

As Cuengi questioned Sejuns actions,

Look at this, Cuengi.

As Sejun spread the distance between his palms,

Crackle.

A red spark appeared between his palms.

Hehehe. How is it? Amazing, isnt it?

Sejun proudly boasted, pleased with himself, but

Krueng? Krueng?

[Whats that? You did all this to show me only that?]

Cuengi responded nonchalantly.

Krueng!

[Cuengi can do that too!]

Shushushush.

Cuengi rubbed its front paws together vigorously, imitating Sejun. An ominous noise emanated from Cuengi.

Nah, that cant be right?

An uneasy feeling washed over Sejun, who tried to deny the possibility. Still, he thought it couldnt be that easy to create a spark since he had the electricity talent and Cuengi did not.

However,

Huh?!

Cuengis fur stood on end, and

Crackle. Crack.

A blinding white spark formed on Cuengis front paws, visibly a powerful electric charge.

Krueng!

[Mom told me not to do this because it tangles my fur!]

Click.

Cuengi discharged the electricity from its paws to the ground as if to warn Sejun. If I get caught doing this, mom will smack me on the back!

Lick, lick.

Cuengi quickly licked his fur, trying to tidy up the hairs that had spread out in all directions to avoid getting caught and scolded by Pink-fur.

Ill help you!

Theo came over to assist Cuengi with his grooming.

Its not because its dangerous, but because it tangles the fur

Watching the two, Sejun was surprised anew by Cuengis strength and

Swoosh, swoosh.

Sejun helped straighten out Cuengis fur with a comb.

Soon, as Cuengis grooming was nearly finished,

Grrrrumble.

Having spent a lot of energy grooming, Cuengis hunger clock sounded.

And then,

Krueng! Krueng!

[Cuengis angry and hungry because Dad ate something tasty alone! Cuengi wants to eat honey-dipped garaetteok (TL: aka rice cakes).]

Remembering that Sejun had eaten something delicious by himself, the fierce Cuengi demanded honey-dipped garaetteok. Just when Sejun thought he had gotten away with it

Just wait a moment!

Sejun ran to the kitchen area and

Gulp.

[You have consumed a piece of Aileens Healthy Meatball.]

[You must eat all the food to get the effect.]

[62 pieces remaining.]

Sejun had to seal away the fierce beast with lots of honey-dipped garaetteok, so Sejun used the meat given by Aileen for breakfast.

Thus, Sejun kept on making Garaetteok non-stop, and

Kuehehehe. Krueng!

[Hehehe. Garaetteok dipped in kudzu honey are the best!]

Cuengi sat down, pressing his back against Sejuns, dipping the Garaetteok into honey and eating them. And that way the fierce beast was safely sealed away.

After a while,

Krueng!

[Cuengi will go check on the herbs!]

Having eaten his fill of Garaetteok, Cuengi packed his snack pouch full of Garaetteok and honey and headed off to the western forest.

Phew. That was exhausting.

Slurp.

After making an enormous amount of Garaetteok since morning, Sejun sat down for a coffee break.

Thats when

Thats right, meow! I have more things to give to Chairman Park, meow!

Theo, who had been sprawling next to Sejun, suddenly stood up. He had suddenly remembered things he had put aside for Sejun.

Oh! Whats this?!

Puhuhut. Look forward to it, meow!

Thump. Thump.

Theo began to take out items from his bag that he had brought from the Triceratops workshop.

Whats this? A stone pot (TL: aka Dolsot or stone bowl)? Huh?! Theres even a millstone?

Sejun was excited to see the items Theo had taken out. The stone pot would be used for cooking rice, and the millstone for grinding the five-colored beans to make tofu?

Ive decided. Tonights dinner is tofu!

Sejun began soaking the five-colored beans in water in a pot. Thanks to the millstone Theo brought, the variety of dishes Sejun could cook had increased.

After that, Theo continued to please Sejun by taking out items like porcelain bowls and a water bottle from his bag.

As expected from Vice Chairman Theo!

Puhuhut. I knew Chairman Park would like it, meow! Chairman Park should continue to believe in me, meow!

Pleased with Sejuns lavish reviews, Theo lay down on Sejuns lap and showed his belly, sending a look that seemed to say, Hurry up and pet me quickly, meow!

Swoosh. Swoosh.

Vice Chairman Theo, are you sleeping?

Gororong.

Theo answered Sejuns question with the sound of snoring. After being petted a few times by Sejun, Theo quickly fell asleep.

Swoosh. Swoosh.

Now, I need to get to work.

Meow

After finishing his coffee while petting Theos belly, Sejun put the sleeping Theo on his legs and headed to the brewery.

And then,

Guys, lets get to work.

Ook!

With the monkeys, Sejun began to pour rice flour into jars brought by Theo the day before and started making the base for the liquor.

Swoosh.

Wow. The cost of making alcohol is similar to what I spent on making Garaetteok earlier?

After filling all the jars with rice flour, Sejun remarked. How much Garaetteok did he actually make? He suddenly realized the astonishing appetite of Cuengi.

But thats not important now.

Sejun quickly joined the monkeys, pouring hot water into one of the jars and stirring the rice batter.

It wasnt until the late afternoon that the preparation of 3000 jars of base liquor was completed.

***

Korean Awakened Association, Chairmans Office.

-The nuclear missile will reach Niue in 5 minutes.

Han Tae-jun looked at the live satellite feed with a tense expression.

Han Tae-jun had found clues about the Three Head Society on the Hunter phone, but it was too much for him to handle alone, so he asked for help from the U.S. With the aid of a US military satellite, he was able to find out the situation in Niue.

However, the situation in Niue captured by satellite was serious. There were no people in Niue, only locusts.

Moreover, an ominous altar had been erected in the center of the island. The altar was covered in unknown characters. Han Tae-jun didnt know what they meant, but the moment he saw the altar, he felt an extreme sense of dread, as if his instincts were screaming danger.

Fortunately, the US also sensed that the altar was not normal and launched a nuclear missile towards Niue, sharing the footage with Han Tae-jun.

After 5 minutes, the nuclear missile hit Niue and created a large mushroom cloud.

Just when he thought everything was over,

Huh?! Whats that?

Han Tae-jun spotted a huge silhouette within the mushroom cloud.

***

Creak. Creak.

Krueng! Krueng?

[Cuengis back! Daddy, whats that?]

Cuengi, who had come back early from tending to the herbs, asked Sejun, who was grinding beans on the millstone.

Cuengis back? Im grinding beans to make tofu.

Krueng? Krueng?

[Whats tofu? Is it delicious?]

Yes. Its really delicious.

Krueng! Krueng!

[Exciting! Cuengi will help too!]

Cuengi was eager to help at Sejuns words.

Then Cuengi, please press this.

Sejun asked Cuengi to press the water out of the beans that had been ground with the millstone.

Krueng! Krueng!

[Understood! Cuengi can do it well!]

Cuengi confidently replied. Sejun trusted him without a doubt.

Sejun focused on grinding the millstone with ease.

After all the beans were ground,

Good.

Sejun started to make tofu by putting the bean juice that Cuengi had squeezed into a pot.

But

Huh?! Why isnt it solidifying?

Sejun was puzzled as he looked at the bean juice that wouldnt solidify. Despite trying various methods, tofu just wouldnt form.

Krueng!

[Daddy, Cuengis hungry!]

Having worked hard without any food, Cuengis expression soured.

Lets just eat this for now.

In a rush, Sejun said, looking at the enormous amount of bean residue left after Cuengi had squeezed the bean juice. He was thinking of making bean residue stew. Luckily, there was shrimp paste made from freshwater shrimp to use.

Sejun added locust meat and green onions to the bean residue, fried them, added water, and seasoned it with shrimp paste to quickly complete the bean residue stew.

[Achievement unlocked: First in the tower to make the flavorful five-colored bean residue stew.]

[Recipe for the flavorful five-colored bean residue stew registered to Cooking Lv. 7.]

[Your proficiency in Cooking Lv. 7 has slightly increased.]

Messages for the achievement appeared simultaneously.

Guys, lets eat!

Sejun called the animals over to share the food and checked the dish.

[Flavorful Five-Colored Bean Residue Stew]

This stew is made with ground five-colored beans with their moisture removed, locust meat, and green onions, seasoned with shrimp paste.

The strong squeezing brings out the potential of the five-colored beans.

Upon consumption, one of the statsstrength, stamina, agility, or magicincreases by an additional 10% for 10 minutes.

Chef: Tower Farmer Park Sejun

Expiration Date: 30 days

Grade: B

Wow!

The options were amazing. It seemed like the effects of the Sturdy Strength Yellow Beans, Sturdy Stamina Red Beans, etc., harvested from the five-colored beans, were partially reflected in the dish.

Krueng!

[Its savory! Delicious!]

Fortunately, Cuengi was also satisfied with the bean residue stew.

Having enjoyed a delicious dinner,

But why isnt the tofu setting?

Sejun pondered why the tofu wasnt solidifying,

Kuehehehe. Krueng!

[Heheheh. Cuengis Grandma is starting to cook!]

Cuengi sat next to Sejun and watched Kim Mi-ran cook through the bronze mirror.

Ah! Cuengi, thats tofu.

Sejun pointed out the tofu in the soybean paste stew.

Krueng? Krueng!

[Is that tofu? Its so white!]

The sight of the wobbly, pudding-like tofu.

Squeeze.

Excited by the appetizing visual, Cuengi gripped the handle of the bronze mirror tightly.

Then,

-Humming.

Huh?!

The sound of Kim Mi-rans humming began to come from beyond the mirror.

Mom!

Sejun exclaimed at the sound of his mothers voice after a long time.

-Huh?! Where is Sejuns voice coming from?

Kim Mi-ran also looked around, hearing Sejuns voice.

And then,

-Eek!

She screamed upon seeing the mirror. Sejun and Cuengi were reflected in the living room mirror.

-So Cute

Uh Mom, calm down,

As Sejun predicted, Kim Mi-ran couldnt keep her composure upon seeing the adorable Cuengi.

-How can I calm down?! If you had such a cute baby, you should have come to mom sooner.

Then,

Krueng! Krueng!

[Hello, Cuengis Grandma! Im Daddys son, Cuengi!]

Realizing that he was visible to Kim Mi-ran, Cuengi hurriedly stood up and bowed 90 degrees, greeting her as Sejun had taught him.

-Oh my! Such a well-mannered baby

As expected, mom clutched her heart at Cuengis greeting.

Mom, are you doing well? Is everything okay?

-Yes! Im doing fine. Dad went to work since theres no more danger, and Se-dol went to school. He will be back soon. How are you doing?

Im doing well too.

As they were talking,

Crack.

The bronze mirror began to crack, unable to bear the load. It seemed it wouldnt last much longer.

Then,

Krueng!

[Daddy, ask how to make tofu!]

Cuengi exclaimed.

Mom, I have a question.

-Yes, go ahead.

I tried making tofu, but it wouldnt solidify. Why?

Sejun described the process of how he had made the tofu.

-If you dont add anything, of course it wont set. You need to use coagulant. If theres no coagulant, you could use vinegar and salt

Clang.

Fortunately, the bronze mirror broke just after Sejun had heard almost all of what Kim Mi-ran had said.

Aileen, is it possible to?

When Sejun asked Aileen if it was possible to repair the broken bronze mirror, she said it was possible.

Phew. Thats a relief. Then Ill leave it to you.

[The towers administrator says to leave it to her.]

After entrusting the repair of the bronze mirror to Aileen,

Alright! Lets make tofu!

Sejun began to make tofu as he had learned from Kim Mi-ran, and he managed to make proper tofu.

Krueng!

[Its delicious! Cuengis Grandma is the best!]

Cuengis desire to meet Kim Mi-ran grew stronger.

****